1956 MG MGA XL Long Bed 4WD

The very best classic cars are those that have been preserved and passed on generation to generation. This car was sold new to George Gilchrist at Christmas time in 1956 when he was a young man., , The car stayed in his family, passed down to his daughter, until 2000 when it was purchased by its second owner: As you can see, the car was tired at that point, still 100% original but having seen better days. When the second owner got it, he knew he wanted to restore the car. He set out not to make it brand new, but to freshen it as much as possible without losing the car’s originality and history. He proceeded with a complete frame off, bare-metal restoration (pictured below). The inner body on the car was exceptionally well preserved and rust free (also pictured). Beyond the bodywork, the car was mechanically completely redone. The motor, brakes, hydraulics, fuel system, electrical system etc. were all rebuilt. The second owner, knowing the car had a tremendous recorded history, kept impeccable records of the restoration. Every receipt from nuts and bolts to the motor rebuild is in a file with the car. In addition to all the receipts the entire restoration was photo documented. We have included the photos of the restoration in the listing. Although the original motor was rebuilt, the transmission was deemed to be in stellar shape and was kept original. If you rush the downshift into 2nd it will chirp a little, the problem is fixed by a slow or a double clutch downshift. Aiming to preserve the originality of the car, the second owner did not replace the original leather seats which are fantastic; they are a testament to just how well preserved the car was over the years., , When we got the car, we were blown away by how straight and original it was., , We loved the fact it had been restored, and the work was all done to a very high level. However, the paint wasn’t great, the wheels were a strange brown color instead of the correct grey, and the drivers seat had a big rip in the right bolster. We brought the car to one of the premier body shops for custom and collector quality paint and had the car completely resprayed. Rather than replacing the seats, we had the driver’s seat bolster patched by a master upholsterer, one of the best in New England., , Between the original owner keeping the car so nice over the years, the second owner carefully restoring it to as-new condition, and us tying up the loose ends, this car is ready for another great 60 years of loving ownership. It is often said that owners of classic cars are merely caretakers for the cars themselves, never has that been more true than with this car.